Leta had not seen or talked to her daughter Vivian in nearly a
month. At Easter, Vivian reminded her mother that she would be graduating from
high school in June with a quiet request that Leta attend. Mother assured
daughter that she would be there, and Leta’s sister-in-law Florence, who was
also in the kitchen at the time, added her certainty that the entire household
would attend the event. A couple of weeks later, in May, Leta took Vivian
shopping for a new dress for the event, but after that, no contact.
Leta had a difficult time remaining in contact with Vivian and
her son Dale. The children lived with their father—her ex-husband—his parents
and his second wife. After their divorce, when the children were quite young,
Leta had retained custody, but following the unexpected death of her second
husband and a disastrous marriage to the third at the height of the Great
Depression, Leta reluctantly took her beloved children—Vivian was 15 and Dale
was 12—to live with their father. While she had hoped it would only be
temporary, life circumstances intervened. Her financial capability
deteriorated, her almost immediate next marriage was too hasty and a horrendous
error in judgment. And Ralph re-married. Although his second wife was an
overbearing alcoholic, Eunice had always wanted children around and clung to
Leta’s.
Eunice’s attitude, the children’s grandmother Ida’s
determination that the children should remain in her care, and Leta’s ongoing
financial and life uncertainty collaborated to keep mother and children
separate.
Could any mother feel guiltier than I? Leta
wondered.
Waite was a large high school; its territory included all of
Toledo’s East Side and part of the outlying townships. Vivian’s graduating
class was over 300 students, yielding hundreds, perhaps over one thousand
attendees.
“We’re late,” Aaron grunted, as he circled the area in search
of a parking spot. “Let me drop you off, so you can find a place to sit.”
“But you’ll never find us,” Florence protested.
“I’ll go with you,” Lucille suggested, “and then meet Papa at
the entrance.”
“That settles it then,” Aaron declared. “Leta should be there
when the graduates come in.”
Just then, from out of the corner of her eye, Leta saw Ralph’s
brother Walter, his wife Mildred and their children walking from one of the
residential streets toward the school. While she had never harbored any anger or
resentment toward her former brother-in-law, she felt a slight stab in the
heart at seeing them. After all, over the past two years, they had spent more
time with her children than she had, having participated in Ida’s Sunday family
dinners for years.
“There’s a spot!” June called.
“I see it!” Aaron agreed and quickly jerked the motorcar into
the trajectory to acquire the space before any of the other wandering drivers
could.
After he parked, Aaron jumped out of the automobile and
checked his watch. “We only have ten minutes before they start,” he declared.
“We need to move like a rabbit to its burrow.”
This was easier said than accomplished with a carload of
women, because each needed to press out her dress, straighten her hat and
compose herself after the warm, cramped drive. Further, Leta was looking to see
the location of her former brother-in-law. She had no intention of arriving at
the same time and putting herself through the awkwardness of polite but
strained conversation with him.
“Aunt Leta?” Lucille inquired gently. She always had a way of
knowing when her aunt was troubled and became very gentle. While Florence was
suspicious and perhaps a bit jealous, aunt and niece held a special bond.
Leta quickly left her thoughtfulness. “Let’s go,” she said and
started walking toward the event entrance.
While they did not have good luck in locating a place to sit,
they found several seats together where they could see well enough. And they
had just settled when the music began and the graduating seniors began to
process in. Suddenly all eyes were on the line of students approaching. As her
surname began with a “C”, Vivian would be near the beginning, and June saw her
first.
“There she is!” the girl shouted, and a few moments later, the
rest of her family had identified which of the students was theirs. Leta, of
course, could tell instantly. Had she not made the stylish hat and selected the
most fashionable dress for her daughter’s big day? In fact, those with an eye
for detail might notice how Leta’s own hat and dress were quite similar.
The ceremony went as expected, and upon its conclusion, Leta
and her brother’s family sought to congratulate their high school graduate.
Vivian was with her father, brother, and other members of the Chetister family
when they reached her, and Leta, who was leading them, suddenly allowed the
others to pass her. Although she was generally bold and outgoing, Leta felt
some reluctance in greeting her beloved but slightly estranged daughter,
particularly in the public eye. She had broken several promises between the dress
shopping and today and feared that Vivian would make an inappropriate response,
shame her mother in front of everyone, or worse yet, simply reject Leta for her
many unforgivable sins. While she had one bottle of beer before they left the
house, Leta wished she had actually had at least one more.
However, Leta could not hide, and her 15-year-old son Dale saw
them approaching.
“Ma! Ma!” he shouted, then left the other Chetisters to run to
her.
While Leta wanted to welcome her boy into her arms, her dread
of the situation overwhelmed her. Still, she accepted his hug, albeit stiffly,
and permitted him to take her hand and lead her to Vivian. The girl’s own
countenance had changed, at least enough for a mother to recognize. While still
filled with excitement at her accomplishment, Vivian had lowered her head
slightly.
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